Small town love – Maybelle on Tello

It’s not unsual for me to fall in love with a show on tello. If you’ve read my blog, you know that to be the case. But Maybelle, well Maybelle is a whole new dimension of love. This isn’t like Nikki & Nora (which I’d waited over ten years for and still want a season 2 of), it’s not like the fun and quirky Hashtag Series that makes me want to smack one of the main characters more often than not (it’s why I love it, honest), Maybelle touches on something much more profound for me – Lesbian love in the Bible Belt.

I’m going to be honest, the biggest draw for me when Maybelle was announced was the fact that it’s written by and starring Bridget McManus as the titular character of Maybelle. I’ve actually been known to tweet tello and ask if Bridget can deliver crowd funding perks, because let’s face it, she’s gorgeous. But if I’m going to move away from the shallow side of my nature, Bridget’s acting is layered and nuanced, her twitter feed can both provoke deeper thought and have me giggling like a schoolgirl, and she has definitely become one of my favourite actors since I’ve become a member of the tello viewing community. I was interested to see what the screenplay for Maybelle would be like, and how my opinion of Bridget’s abilities might change. Well…. they’ve changed, I’ve found myself more in awe of this multi-talented lady. And as always, I’m in love with the direction from Christin Baker.

Maybelle could be set in any small town in the American Bible Belt. You have the nosey, racist, trashy, bigoted neighbour and her divorced son (whom she thinks is perfect for Maybelle), the beautiful countryside, and the struggle to be who you really are when faced with an upbringing that no doubt involves many many childhood Sundays spent in the local Baptist/Epsicopalian Church. Maybelle has spent most of her adult life caring for her sick mother, and now, she’s rediscovering herself, and what life as a single lesbian woman is. Enter Della, Maybelle’s high school girlfriend, and her husband JW and a whole host of issues that happen as a consequence.

I love this show. I love the little details, things like the way the fridge is stocked, and the neighbour bringing over a tuna casserole. They are all reminiscent of the Bible Belt town in which my other half lives. And to be honest, they make me miss her even more than I already do. I adore the reflection of modern day Southern attitudes, the emergence of some changes and the judgemental personalities. I am electrified by the chemistry between Maybelle (McManus) and Della (Fran Nichols). I was a little scared by Mick (Karman Kregloe) and her agressive nature. And I have been won over by JW (John M. Keating). I also want to tell Pearl Applewhite (Judy Jackson) and her son Buddy (Greg Standifer) to mind their own beeswax and leave Maybelle and Della to work things out on their own.

I can’t wait to see where this show goes next. It’s a reflection of so many things I already know to be true about being out and in love in the Bible Belt and it’s won me over completely. As my friend said on twitter earlier tonight, I really hope there’s a second season already being planned. The only problem with watching websiodes of any show you love is the waiting for the next 8 to 15 minute segment to appear, and a week in between epsidoes, means I’m already counting down the days for the next time I can log on and see what happens.